Since being back for our vacation, I have been full bore into work...i.e. the stuff they pay me money for. I had one client when we were trying to schedule some additional meetings that the workload I seemed to be carrying did not make 'retirement' look all that attractive. I had to remind him that I am traveling out-of-the-country around 40% of the time. So even with my reduced workload (I have mentioned that I only work about a third as much as I did when I was working full time), that means the times I am in New Mexico and working will be busy.
What I did not tell him about was the Joy.
I have realized that that I have gotten so good at screening my new jobs and only getting those clients and work that I really love that virtually each business meeting I am in is a real pleasure. Pleasure from practicing your craft well. Pleasure for seeing the clients moving toward achieving their goals. There is a level of 'work satisfaction' that I never really experienced during all the years I worked full-time because to get the income I needed, I had to take on work that I didn't necessarily love and clients that may not have been the best fit.
So as I told the client who made the comment on how hard I was working, "Transition is not about going from working to not working. It is about going from a space of stress and worry to a place of pleasure and joy." That might not look to an outsider like a big change. But it is.
3 comments:
Retirement is an adventure, isn't it.
Some of the people in my community for fiance-focused people are not interested in the early retirement part, but in the financial independence part. I can see there is real freedom in being able to take only the work that you love, that is aligned with your values and interests. I'm glad you have this.
@RM - this is where I am aiming to achieve.
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